1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for providing product selection and, more specifically, to interactive object-driven database product selection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technological development is constantly producing an ever-growing array of increasingly sophisticated, less expensive, and more useful products for use in a typical business environment. New networking products, Internet related services, storage and data retrieval methodologies, as well as video and telecommunication products can make selecting products and services appropriate for a particular business a very difficult task. Not only must the business user attempt to keep up with the evolving technological capabilities of modern devices, but that user must also attempt to anticipate the future growth of the business and allow for future business needs. The complexity of the technology, coupled with the high ticket price of many business information solutions, can give the most astute business executive pause.
Value added resellers (VAR's) attempt to fill the need by discussing business needs with business personnel, and attempt to customize information technology solutions to the needs of the particular business. However, although VAR's are typically extremely knowledgeable about the available products, identifying customer needs and translating the business user's description of an ideal information or communication solution from a business world to a technology world calls for creative thinking. Businesses typically do not know to the nearest megabyte how much memory they need, nor the baud rate of communication lines that are needed, nor which type of server or network related hardware or software is appropriate. Furthermore, from the technology side, new products and services cannot find the market for which they are most appropriate if customers are not aware that the products exist and the VAR's do not realize the business has a particular need.
As businesses that have ever purchased computer or communication equipment know, selecting the appropriate hardware, software, and network configuration is only part of the problem. Individual desktop and notebook computers compatible with the network, printers, and other equipment must be selected based upon human consideration such as user familiarity and technical background, training, time, previously purchased embedded equipment, budget considerations and technological needs. Selecting a particular processor speed or the number of pixels per inch of resolution on a desktop computer monitor, for example, are technological considerations that an end-user or a customer in a non-computer business may find difficult to express. Evaluating the trade-offs between slight increases in processor speed and slight decreases in communication bandwidth, for example, are frequently decisions businesses prefer to leave to the technical consultants. Customers often would prefer to communicate their business needs in non-technical language, including what trade-offs the business would be willing to make from a business perspective, if there were some assurance that the technical consultant could optimize a solution to those business needs.
The VAR or technical consultant, of course, must be familiar with products and services currently available. However, these products and services change over time as new products are introduced or are discontinued or are available in only limited geographical locations. Often price or availability can vary drastically from region to region, let alone country to country, adding complexity to the consultant's task. Local and wide area network standards, linguistic considerations, and even power supply compatibility requirements impose severe external constraints on a solution. Software must be selected that has a user interface and a human user interface language that the employees of the customer's business can understand, and must be interconnectable with other products related to the customer's business.
If the difficulties inherent in keeping current with new product availability factors were not enough, the technical consultant is often further relied upon for installation and configuration of the equipment pertinent to the solution. Although computer equipment often includes a set of "instructions" for installation, the instructions included are often written at a single level of technical sophistication and often require some previous familiarity with the product family. Configuring products from various manufacturers can create interoperability problems, calling for some creative implementation on the part of the technical consultant. Not only are the implementation or installation instructions typically written at a single level of technological familiarity, often without a telephone number or other means of acquiring additional information about the product necessary for installation, but the changing technological landscape frequently requires retrofitting new devices into pre-existing systems. Equipment previously installed in a network may need to be reconfigured slightly, as new equipment is also installed into the network, yet implementation instructions for such retrofitting are difficult to develop.
Finally, while the technical consultant and the customer may be able to reduce the set of possible solutions to a relatively small class of possibilities, some considerations may not seem particularly relevant at the time. Selecting a solution based upon limited information requires more than a straight-forward algebraic function, since there may be a large number of "don't care" parameters. Rather, a solution may be required based upon only a very limited amount of information. Alternately, a business may not know which of a small number of alternatives may evolve; for example, the business may not know whether it will win a particular contract or expand, and therefore a baseline solution expandable in a number of directions may be needed. Solving problems based on a limited amount of information, while allowing for later introduction of additional constraints, is a science referred to as "fuzzy logic," involving a complex set of determinations.